Christmas Pudding cooking now!

[nannyL]

I currently have 3 Christmas puddings steaming away

I have made them using my great great great grandmothers recipie (my mums, mums, mums, mums, mum!) and they wont finish steaming til 1am

I used my great grandmothers (mothers fathers mothers) super large mixing bowl (that was always her Christmas pudding bowl ) which I 'inherited' to make them in

Not sure what i will do with all 3 of them.... One will be for Xmas dinner this year... not sure about the other 2, 1 might be for next year or i might give them away?

also have my dried fruit soaking in brandy for Christmas cake tomorrow (just Delia for that recipie)

I made six this year! Some were small ones, to be sure, but even so - six! We've fallen into having a second Xmas pud at New Year, so that accounts for a second one, plus ds1 will be taking some back to the US with him, for Xmas 2009. If you don't want all yours, I can rehome them for you.

I popped one of mine in the slow cooker overnight in water to steam as didn't fancy staying up too late

Turned out surprisingly well.

Hahaha ... I just clicked on this thinking it was my new Dec 08 ante-natal thread!!

I steam mine in the oven. I put the puds in something like a lasagne or roasting dish, pour in boiling water to about half way up the dish, then make a tent out of foil and cover the puds, sealing it round the edges of the dish. Pop into the oven on a low heat, gas mark 2 and cook for the same time as you would on top. Voila, steamed puds without the steam!

Never made a Christmas pud before. Am I too late? I was under the impression you made them towards end of Nov?
Also, if you don't have great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother's recipe, who's recipe should I go with?

Delia is always reliable although this year i've switched to nigella.

i think the end of november is the traditional time, BUT i am very busy for the next 2 weekends, and i figured as my grandmother always did 2 at once (one for this year and one for next) that an extra 2 weeks maturing shouldnt matter too much

this is the recipie if anyone wants to know:

Make in November:

3oz Plain Flour
4 oz bread crumbs
4 oz Suet
½ tsp mixed spice
Pinch salt
2 grated nutmeg
8 oz Raisins (cut small)
8 oz Sultanas
8 oz Currents
4 oz Almonds (blanched and chopped small but not too fine)
4 oz Cherries or mixed peel
8 oz Brown Sugar
1 small grated apple
1 small grated carrot
3 eggs (beaten)
Juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 2 oranges
Rind of 1 Orange
½ wine glass brandy
¼ pint milk IF needed

put all ingredients into a large mixing bowl in this order. (Dry then wet)
Mix together

Makes 1 large pudding or 2 small ones

Butter the pudding basins and put mix in bowl.
Cover with buttered grease proof paper

Steam a large pudding (larger than 2 pints which is small) for 7 hours
Steam a small pudding for 6 hours
Keep in a cool place

Start feeding puddings with brandy from Mid Novmeber

On Christmas Day steam pudding for 3 hours.

my grandmother makes 1 2 pint basin and 1 1.5 pint basin

Thank you Nanny!